Mom demands accountability after son dies of electrocution

By Paulo DS Papa

A grieving mother is seeking accountability following the death of her son, a government maintenance worker who was electrocuted while on duty along Maharlika Highway in Barangay San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur.

Elsa Sales, 50, of Zone 7, Austria Village, Barangay Carolina, Naga City, is demanding answers over the death of her son, Melvin Sales, 25, who died during a roadside clearing operation on Monday afternoon, July 27.

At around 3:00 p.m., Melvin was removing tree branches that had been cut during a clearing operation conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Police reports said that the death of the 25-year-old contractual employee of the DPWH, identified as Melvin, happened while he was participating in a roadside clearing operation in front of the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA). A newly cut tree branch fell onto an electrical wire. The impact caused the wire to snap and wrap around the victim, resulting in his electrocution.

Personnel from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) were initially unable to approach the victim because the wire remained live and the victim had caught fire. Once the area was declared safe, responders assessed the victim and declared him lifeless.

His mother questioned the alleged lack of coordination between the DPWH and the Camarines Sur II Electric Cooperative (Casureco II) before the operation was carried out.

“The power should have been shut off before the clearing operation began, just as they always do whenever similar work is conducted in our area,” Sales said during an interview.

She described her son as kind, dependable, and always willing to help others, especially during times of hardship.

Casureco II spokesperson Rinner Bucay confirmed that there had been a lack of communication, stressing that coordination between agencies should always be maintained before any work is undertaken near power lines.

He said the electrocution of the DPWH worker was reported to the cooperative only after the incident had already occurred.

Bucay emphasized that proper coordination is essential before conducting any activity near energized power lines.

“Electricity can always be restored, but a person’s life cannot be replaced,” he said.